Former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman is wasting no time in returning to the cage.

The British Columbia native is set to face fellow striker Kaitlin Young in a featured matchup at Invicta Fighting Championships 3 on Oct. 6 in Kansas City, Kan.

Kaufman (15-2) and Young (7-6-1) originally were set to face off at “EliteXC: A Night of Champions” in November 2008, but the bout was scrapped when the promotion folded one month prior. The fighters have led very different paths since then, and each one looks to rebound from recent submission setbacks.

This past month, Kaufman looked to reclaim her Strikeforce title from current champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. The fight did not go as planned for Kaufman, however, and she fell victim to a Rousey armbar in just 54 seconds. The disappointing loss snapped Kaufman’s three-fight win streak and removed her from the Strikeforce title picture for the time being.

Young posted back-to-back wins leading into her memorable Invicta FC debut in April. Her action-packed bout with Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith ended in a split draw, but both fighters received praise for their performances. At Invicta FC 2 in July, Young started strong against former Strikeforce title challenger Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche before succumbing to a rear-naked choke in the second round.

Kaufman and Young have combined for 16 knockout victories to date. Both fighters are in need of a big victory in order to get back into contention in the bantamweight division, and their Invicta FC 3 showdown is a strong candidate for fight of the night.

Unbeaten prospect Cat “Alpha” Zingano (6-0) is set to make her Strikeforce debut against hard-hitting Brazilian standout Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (7-2) at “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy” on Sept. 29 in Sacramento, Calif. Zingano previously was scheduled to face Leslie Smith at Invicta FC 3, but she was granted her release in order to pursue the bout with Nunes as part of the ongoing exchange of talent between Invicta FC and Strikeforce.

Zingano has yet to taste defeat in her MMA career, and the Colorado native has already captured numerous titles at 125, 130 and 135 pounds. She is coming off of a third-round powerbomb-knockout victory over Takayo Hashi in May 2011, but she has not fought since then due to untimely injuries. She now moves back up to 135 pounds after a successful run in the flyweight division.

Nunes made an instant impact in her January 2011 Strikeforce debut when she knocked out Julia Budd in just 14 seconds, but her second fight for the promotion ended in a disappointing second-round TKO defeat to Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis. In July, Nunes made her Invicta FC debut on the promotion’s second card and choked out late replacement opponent Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi in the first round.

Strikeforce continues to seek out new challengers for its bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, and the winner of the Zingano-Nunes bout will move one step closer to title contention in the coming year.

Miriam Nakamoto set for Sept. 15 pro MMA debut

Multi-time muay Thai champion Miriam Nakamoto (15-0 MT, 0-0 MMA) makes her professional MMA debut against Elizabeth Phillips (3-1-1 amateur) at “Red Canvas: Submission 2″ on Sept. 15 in San Jose, Calif. The featured bout is expected to be contested at 135 pounds.

Nakamoto scored her biggest muay Thai victory to date this past month when she defeated 53-fight veteran Julie Kitchen for the WCK Champion of Champions title. She also holds titles for the WBC and WMC and is seen by some as the best female striker in the world. Nakamoto now follows in the footsteps of other muay Thai converts such as Gina Carano, Julia Budd and Germaine de Randamie in seeking out a new challenge in MMA.

Phillips has earned decision victories in three of her past four fights. The Washington native trains out of the SikJitsu gym, which has produced notable fighters such as Lyle Beerbohm, Cody McKenzie and Julianna Pena. Phillips most recently defeated Priscilla “The Gorilla” White in a June rematch and looks to upset the highly touted Nakamoto later this month.

Miller began her MMA career against another experienced opponent, Mollie Estes, at Invicta FC 1 in April. The talented wrestler struggled to get Estes to the ground in the opening rounds, but she overwhelmed Estes with vicious ground and pound for the TKO victory in Round 3.

Brents has amassed an extremely impressive record as an amateur and is a proven finisher, with the majority of her wins coming via knockout. She now makes her long-awaited pro debut and aims to upset her Olympic medal-winning foe.

McDonald earned a unanimous-decision win over Jinh Yu (3-2) to become Tuff-N-Uff 110-pound women’s champion. Yu was able to score with straight left hands and a takedown in Round 2, but McDonald controlled the majority of the fight in the clinch with knees to the body.

All three judges scored the fight for the popular McDonald, who gets back on the winning track after a pair of setbacks in the Tuff-N-Uff cage.

Earlier in the night, Casey claimed the promotion’s 125-pound women’s title with a second-round submission win over Rachael “The Panther” Cummins (2-3). Casey took advantage of a scramble on the ground midway through the second round and secured a fight-ending armbar at the 2:02 mark. Both fighters were competing for the second time in two weeks.

Casey has now won four straight fights since dropping a contentious split decision in January.

Quick results

Gabrielle Holloway (1-0) def. Andria Caplan (1-1) via unanimous technical decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at the 1:43 mark of Round 3 at “Cage Fury Fighting Championships 16: Williams vs. Jacoby” on Aug. 24 in Atlantic City, N.J. Holloway posted a 7-0 record as an amateur and appeared to hold an advantage through two rounds against Caplan due to her aggressive striking. The bout was stopped due to an accidental eye poke in round three, and Holloway took the well-deserved victory on all three judges’ scorecards.

Jessica Doerner (2-0) def. Ashley Omsberg (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 4:11 mark of Round 1 at “Golden Cage MMA: Magic City Mayhem” on Aug. 25 in Minot, N.D. Doerner has won both of her MMA bouts via first-round TKO and also competes as a pro boxer.

Emma Watson (3-2) def. Andrea “Gladiatrix” Havlovicova (1-2) via TKO (punches) at the 11-second mark of Round 1 at “Women Fight Back” on Aug. 25 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. Watson has won two of her past three bouts.

On the same all-female Women Fight Back card, Chloe Hinchliffe (1-2) def. Cherie Buck (2-3-1) via TKO (knee injury) at the 1:02 mark of Round 2. Hinchliffe notched her first pro win with the victory after suffering a pair of decision losses earlier this year. Buck has dropped back-to-back fights since returning from a lengthy hiatus in April.

Rin Nakai (12-0-1) def. Mayumi “Super Benkei” Aoki (6-9) via TKO (punches) at the 3:45 mark of Round 2 at “Pancrase Progress Tour 10″ on Sept. 1 in Tokyo. Nakai caught a kick midway through round two and battered Aoki with punches on the ground for the stoppage. She now advances to the final of the bantamweight Queen of Pancrase title tournament.

Eeva Siiskonen (1-0) def. Myriem el Banouti (3-3) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at Carelia Fight 8 on Sept. 1 in Imatra, South Karelia, Finland. Siiskonen made a successful pro debut in front of hometown fans with the dominant stoppage victory. Belgium’s el Banouti has dropped back-to-back fights after winning three of her first four.

Upcoming fights

Kristen “The Automatic” Gatz (4-1 amateur) makes her pro debut against Jessica “The Ragin'” Rakoczy (0-3) at “Tachi Palace Fights 14: Validation” on Sept. 7 in Lemoore, Calif. Gatz won each of her first four fights as an amateur and now looks to rebound from a submission setback in April. Rakoczy sports a 32-3 record as a pro boxer and has captured numerous boxing championships. She has not competed in MMA since October 2010 when a victory over Jennifer Scott was overturned after Rakoczy tested positive for banned painkillers.

Stephanie Webber (2-2) faces Fallon Fox (1-0) at Rumble on the Ridge 25 on Sept. 8 in Snoqualmie, Wash. Webber has won two of her past three fights and is coming off of a second-round submission victory in June. Fox won her pro debut by TKO in April.

Emily Peters-Kagan (4-2 amateur) makes her pro debut against Lynae Lovato (0-1) at Jackson’s MMA Series 9″on Sept. 8 in Albuquerque, N.M. Peters-Kagan has won back-to-back fights under the Jackson’s MMA Series banner and looks to kick off her pro career with a victory in front of her Jackson’s teammates. Lovato returns to the cage for the first time since dropping a unanimous decision in her September 2011 pro debut.

Kate Bloomfield (0-1) faces Jozette Cotton (2-0 amateur) at “Disorderly Conduct: Football and Fights” on Sept. 8 in Norfolk, Neb. Bloomfield put together a solid record in amateur competition, but she has not competed since suffering a submission loss in her May 2010 pro debut. Cotton joins the pro ranks after winning two fights for Disorderly Conduct this year.

Luana Teixeira (1-3) faces Dusica “Duda” Yankovich (0-0) at “Bitetti Combat: Paqueta” on Sept. 8 in Rio de Janeiro. Teixeira is currently in the midst of a three-fight losing streak and looks to get back on track against Serbia’s Yankovich, who makes her pro debut.

Katja Kankaanpaa (6-0) faces Simona Soukupova (2-2) at Botnia Punishment 12 on Sept. 14 in Seinajoki, Finland. Kankaanpaa earned her biggest victory to date at Botnia Punishment 11 in March when she defeated final Valkyrie champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi. Soukupova opened her career with a pair of TKO victories, but she is coming off of back-to-back decision defeats.

Sarah “Cheesecake” Moras (2-1) faces Christina Barry (0-0) at “Aggression Fighting Championship 11: Takeover” on Sept. 15 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Moras suffered her first defeat at Invicta FC 2 in July. Prior to the setback, she had won all five of her pro and amateur bouts, with only one fight going the distance. Barry is an amateur boxer and BJJ brown belt who makes her MMA debut after capturing a Canadian jiu-jitsu championship.

Suzie “La China” Montero (1-1) faces Rute Frias (0-1) at “World Cup of MMA 1: Portugal vs. USA” on Sept. 15 in Ledyard, Conn. Montero is a veteran striker with nearly 10 years of experience as a kickboxer. Frias makes her pro debut in the fight and looks to hand Montero her second straight defeat.

Kelly Warren (3-4) faces Tyra Parker (1-2) at “North American Allied Fight Series: Caged Fury 19″ on Sept. 15 in Morgantown, W.V. Warren is in need of a big win after dropping four straight fights. Parker returns to the cage for the first time since earning a 55-second win in June 2010.

MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every other Monday. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com. Feel free to email us at news [AT] mmajunkie.com with any questions, news tips or suggestions.